❦𝓕𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓒𝓻𝓲𝓶𝓮❦ - 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓬𝔂 𝓙𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓼𝓸𝓷

𝒳𝐼𝐼𝐼. 𝐸𝒸𝒽𝒾𝒹𝓃𝒶 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒞𝒽𝒾𝒽𝓊𝒶𝒽𝓊𝒶

𝒩𝑜𝓌 the only people left on the observation deck were Zoe, Percy, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the fat lady with her Chihuahua. Percy smiled uneasily at the lady, and she smiled back, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth.

Wait... forked tongue?! Zoe's brain went into overdrive as she grabbed Percy's arm, whispering, "Did you see that?"

Percy gulped. "Yup," he whispered back.

The Chihuahua jumped out of her arms and started yapping at the duo.

"Now, now sonny. Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."

"Doggie!" The little boy said. "Look, a doggie!"

His parents pulled him back.

The Chihuahua bared his teeth at the demigods, foam dripping from his black lips.

"Well, son," The bulky woman sighed. "If you insist."

Zoe froze, her grip on Percy's arm tightening.

"Um, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?" Percy asked, his voice wavering a little.

"Chimera, dear," she corrected. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make."

She rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, they saw that her teeth were fangs. The pupils of her eyes were sideways slits, like a reptile's.

The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar. Zoe pulled Percy behind her, grabbing her hairpin for her sword, and flipping it.

The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back towards the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood, paralyzed, gaping at the monster.

The Chimera was now so tall its back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-cake mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind. The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate size dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA-RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS-IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS-EXT. 954.

The monster lady laughed. "Be honored, Percy Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"

"Isn't that a kind of anteater?" Percy asked. Zoe stepped on his foot in response.

Echidna howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green with rage. "I hate it when people say that! I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me. For that, Percy Jackson, my son shall destroy you!"

The Chimera charged, and Zoe pulled Percy to the side, dodging it's teeth. They ended up next to the family and the park ranger, who were all screaming now, trying to pry open the emergency exit doors.

Percy uncapped his sword, running to the other side of the deck, Zoe hot on his heels.

"What are yo-" Zoe frantically started.

"Hey, Chihuahua!" Percy shouted as the Chimera turned faster than Zoe thought possible. She knew it was fast, but holy shit, how are we gonna beat this thing?

It opened its mouth, emitting a stench worse than burning oil of a failed or exploded project in the lab. It shot flames at Zoe and Percy, and he grabbed her and dove down to the floor of the deck. The explosion caused the carpet to burst into flames. The place they had been standing before, now a gaping hole with melted metal steaming around the edges.

Percy swung Riptide at its neck as it turned, but the blade sparked harmlessly off the dog collar. Percy was off balance, so Zoe stepped in and blocked the oncoming attack of the snake tail. The snake wasn't done yet though, as it wrapped itself around her ankles and tripped her, knocking her into an already un-balanced Percy.

In the midst of the commotion, the snake managed to sink its teeth into Percy's calf, poisoning him. While trying to steady them both, Percy dropped his sword and it fell out of the Arch, into the Mississippi River below.

Zoe was able to get them standing up-right, her body angled in front of Percy to keep the stupid weaponless idiot safe. He was leaning on her, weak from the poison, as they backed up to the breach in the Arch. The Chimera was advancing on them, growling, as smoak cured from its lips.

Echidna cackled, "They don't make heroes like they used to, eh, son?"

The monster growled, in no hurry to finish them when they were practically beaten already.

Percy shifted behind Zoe, and Echidna hissed, "If you are the son of Poseidon, you would not fear water. Jump, Percy Jackson. Leave the daughter of doves here, to me. Save yourself. Show me that water will not harm you. Jump and retrieve your sword. Prove your bloodline."

The Chimera's mouth glowed red, heating up for another blast.

"You have no faith," Echidna continued. "You do not trust the gods. I cannot blame you, little coward. Better you die now. The gods are faithless. The poison is in your heart."

"Go." Zoe said, brandishing Thorn in front of her. "It's your quest, save the world Barnacle Bitch."

"Die, faithless one," Echidna rasped, and the Chimera sent a column of flame towards the duo.

"Father. Help us," Percy whispered as he wrapped an arm around Zoe's waist, turned, and jumped.

Thoughts?

Questions?

Suggestions?

Headcannons?